It's hard to find flattering swimwear when you are any older than 17 and anything other than model shaped- and believe me, the only model I am shaped like is a dented and scratched family car which has been heavily used and is more than a little tatty with upholstery which shows the wear and tear of family life.
I was excited to see a tweet about Swimcurves, a British business offering a variety of swimwear options tailored to fit by body shape - the site even has a handy tool which shows you a selection of swimwear designs and options based on what shape you are.
I think most women know about these body shape definitions - oval, pear, hourglass etc. I am a typical apple-shaped diabetic with no discernible waistline, but have skinny arms and legs. My bustline was what one might describe as stately until a breast reduction some years ago and now it's just a bit saggy.
I found ordering a breeze - although choosing the swimsuit took a while only because there was such a great choice.
I am slightly obsessed with the 1950's vintage nautical look so ended up choosing the gorgeous Ava design, a very vintage-esque red white and blue suit with a soft halter neck, tummy control and a flattering striped area under the bustline.
I ordered a size 12 but sadly it was too big for me, possibly because the diabetic nurse enforced low carb diet I started following after ordering the suit has actually slimmed me down quite rapidly.
The leg holes were a bit baggy on me - I have stupid skinny chicken legs- and the top half was also a bit big and although the cups covered my boobs I didn't think they would keep my dignity intact with any vigorous swimming movement or a trip down a water-slide for instance.
I wonder if the not quite perfect fit maybe was down to the fact that maybe I am not a true oval shape. The Swimcurves website description says: "The main characteristics of an Oval bodyshape are having a large bust, narrow hips and a fuller mid-section. Your waist may be undefined and will be the widest part of your frame."
Well the bit about the hips and midsection match me but I don't have a large bust since my breast reduction so that might be why the cups felt loose. I am also quite short (5ft 3 ins) so asked a taller friend to try it for size and although it fit nicely on her waist and bum she said she found the crotch area "flappy."
Like me she found the cups were not a great fit and concluded that the suit was "very eye catching but I would only sit very still in it, certainly not swim!"
We both really loved the design and a very short internet search found other customers who seemed delighted with the fit (including this gorgeous blogger who models it beautifully) so I think maybe a different size or design would suit us better.
I always find sizing difficult, especially when buying online, and I am sure I am not alone in finding I vary up to two or three dress sizes depending what store I am buying from.
If you fancy some stylish swimwear from Swimcurves I would consider ordering two sizes to find the best fit - you can always send anything unsuitable back as long as you abide by the terms and conditions on the returns and exchanges section of the FAQ page of the website.
As I said earlier Swimcurves does offer a 30 day money back guarantee so you can send costumes back until you find your perfect fit, and once you find a design which flatters you can order it in lots of different colour ways.
I was excited to see a tweet about Swimcurves, a British business offering a variety of swimwear options tailored to fit by body shape - the site even has a handy tool which shows you a selection of swimwear designs and options based on what shape you are.
I think most women know about these body shape definitions - oval, pear, hourglass etc. I am a typical apple-shaped diabetic with no discernible waistline, but have skinny arms and legs. My bustline was what one might describe as stately until a breast reduction some years ago and now it's just a bit saggy.
I found ordering a breeze - although choosing the swimsuit took a while only because there was such a great choice.
I am slightly obsessed with the 1950's vintage nautical look so ended up choosing the gorgeous Ava design, a very vintage-esque red white and blue suit with a soft halter neck, tummy control and a flattering striped area under the bustline.
The leg holes were a bit baggy on me - I have stupid skinny chicken legs- and the top half was also a bit big and although the cups covered my boobs I didn't think they would keep my dignity intact with any vigorous swimming movement or a trip down a water-slide for instance.
I wonder if the not quite perfect fit maybe was down to the fact that maybe I am not a true oval shape. The Swimcurves website description says: "The main characteristics of an Oval bodyshape are having a large bust, narrow hips and a fuller mid-section. Your waist may be undefined and will be the widest part of your frame."
Well the bit about the hips and midsection match me but I don't have a large bust since my breast reduction so that might be why the cups felt loose. I am also quite short (5ft 3 ins) so asked a taller friend to try it for size and although it fit nicely on her waist and bum she said she found the crotch area "flappy."
Like me she found the cups were not a great fit and concluded that the suit was "very eye catching but I would only sit very still in it, certainly not swim!"
We both really loved the design and a very short internet search found other customers who seemed delighted with the fit (including this gorgeous blogger who models it beautifully) so I think maybe a different size or design would suit us better.
I always find sizing difficult, especially when buying online, and I am sure I am not alone in finding I vary up to two or three dress sizes depending what store I am buying from.
If you fancy some stylish swimwear from Swimcurves I would consider ordering two sizes to find the best fit - you can always send anything unsuitable back as long as you abide by the terms and conditions on the returns and exchanges section of the FAQ page of the website.
I could not fault the website, ordering process, packaging, delivery or the quality of the Ava costume.
As I said earlier Swimcurves does offer a 30 day money back guarantee so you can send costumes back until you find your perfect fit, and once you find a design which flatters you can order it in lots of different colour ways.
You can find Swimcurves on Facebook and Twitter (@Swimcurves) and the lovely friendly folk manning the social networks will happily answer any queries you have about their range and service.
I love that the swimwear is made in Britain, the company mantra is "swimwear for your body to love" AND you can try on in the privacy of your own home!
Disclaimer: I was sent an Ava swimming costume (RRP £40) free for the purposes of this honest review. Views and opinions remain my own.